In the past, a variety of devices and systems directed to protecting hotel and motel rooms, homes and other premises from fire and intruder damage have been proposed. They vary from uncomplicated localized (e.g., on-premises) devices, such as smoke or intruder detectors, designed to create only a premises alarm to complex off-premises monitoring systems that "dial" a central monitoring station and transmit an alarm to the station when the monitored condition occurs. Some systems even have dedicated phone lines that carry a continuous signal from the monitored premises to the central station. The absence of the signal indicates that the phone line has been damaged--by being cut, for example.
Intruder on-premises alarms have the disadvantage that they can be easily dismantled by many intruders, such as "professional" thieves. All on-premises alarms (e.g., smoke and heat, as well as intruder) have the disadvantages of requiring: that a person be on or near the premises when the alarm is activated; and, that a person hearing the alarm does not ignore the alarm. Ignoring the alarm by neighbors is a frequent occurrence, particularly when false alarms have occurred in the past.
While the complex off-premises monitoring systems proposed in the past, in general, avoid the disadvantages of on-premises alarms, they have not found widespread acceptance for various reasons. In the past, the primary disadvantage of off-premises monitoring systems has been the expense associated with installing and maintaining such systems. More specifically, in the past, the detectors (intrusion, heat or smoke) of off-premises monitoring systems have been wired to a central unit that sends a signal to the central monitoring station when a condition to be detected occurs. Because such systems have involved substantial wiring at each premises being monitored, they have been expensive to install, particularly when the premises is large and the owner is desirous of having the wires hidden from view. In addition to installation costs, in instances where the system is operated by someone other than the owner of the premises, the system providers charge a fee, normally a monthly fee, to monitor the detectors at the central monitoring station and respond when a monitored condition occurs.
This invention is directed to avoiding the foregoing, and other disadvantages of prior premises protection systems and devices.